passe

¹

[ pahs ]

noun

, French.

1. the numbers 19 through 36 in roulette.

passé

²

[ pa-sey; French pah-sey ]

adjective

1. no longer fashionable, in wide use, etc.; out-of-date; outmoded:

   There were many photographs of passé fashions. I thought hand-cranked pencil sharpeners were passé.

   Synonyms: quaint, démodé, old-fashioned

2. past:

   time passé.

3. past the prime of one's life.

noun

, plural pas·sés [pa-, seyz, pah-, sey].

1. Ballet. a movement in which one leg passes behind or in front of the other.

passé

/ ˈpɑseɪ; pɑse; ˈpɑːseɪ /

adjective

1. out-of-date

   passé ideas

2. past the prime; faded

   a passé society beauty

Word History and Origins

Origin of passe¹

Literally, “passing, pass”

Origin of passe²

1765–75; < French, past participle of passer to pass

Word History and Origins

Origin of passe¹

C18: from French, past participle of passer to pass

Example Sentences

But these days, many of the traditional Olympic sports are beginning to feel passe to a younger generation.

From Los Angeles Times

“How many have laughed at the church, announcing that she was passe, that her days were over and that they would bury her?” he said in a 2021 Mass.

From Seattle Times

It’s a snappy, gutsy comedy about how kids are spoiled and ignorant, and yet the adult workplace is only passingly more mature.

From New York Times

This felt, he reported, “like hanging horizontally on belts, as if in a suspended state,” a circumstance passingly familiar to anyone who has been on a roller coaster or jumped off a diving board.

From New York Times

While some shoppers and even Ms. Stangl see the term “work wear” as passe, Banana Republic still has a dedicated section on its website called “The Workwear Edit.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• corny
• obsolete
• odd
• outdated
• outmoded
• unfashionable